


Coming Home

by altruisticSocks



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: First Crush, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Pre-The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29752668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altruisticSocks/pseuds/altruisticSocks
Summary: “Ambassador, good to see up top again.” Jason’s face split into a grin. He was always happy to see the grumpy demigod.Nico rolled his eyes. “Centurion Grace, it’s good to be back.”Jason jogs the last few meters over to Nico and throws his arms open. Still letting the choice be Nico’s, always offering an out. He’s rewarded when Nico steps closer and loosely wraps his arms around Jason’s waist.A very self-indulgent "they knew each other before HoO" fic as a Valentine's gift from the Jasico Discord event.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Jason Grace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Coming Home

“Ambassador, good to see up top again.” Jason’s face split into a grin. He was always happy to see the grumpy demigod. 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Centurion Grace, it’s good to be back.”

Jason jogs the last few meters over to Nico and throws his arms open. Still letting the choice be Nico’s, always offering an out. He’s rewarded when Nico steps closer and loosely wraps his arms around Jason’s waist.

Jason lets out a happy sigh and presses his nose into Nico’s rat's nest he called hair. 

“How long are you staying for?”  
  
Nico shrugs as best as he can with Jason crushing him to his chest. Jason knows he should let go soon but _gods_ it’s good to see Nico again. It’s always good to see Nico, except for maybe that first time.

* * *

_Jason was on patrol duty when he first found him._

_Walking just inside the borders Jason was flipping and catching the gladius and pilum in turns. His skin was itching with the need to do something. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Catching the coin, as a sword this time, he turned ready to fight. For a second he thought he must have been mistaken, he could have sworn the shadows themselves were moving._

_There was a dark mass at the base of a tree. Jason stalked forward, staying on his toes with his gladius pointed forward. The mass shifted and, what Jason realized was an arm, moved to reveal a pale, gaunt face._

_Even in sleep, the eyebrows were furrowed in distress. Chapped lips partially opened, cheeks sallow and sunken, and his dark unruly hair falling over his tightly clenched eyes. Jason lowered his gladius and crept closer, gently he poked the figure’s shoulder. He did not wake._

_Having grown up around spirits, gods, and nymphs Jason knew better than to mess with things, but this looked like a kid. Probably some hurt and scared demigod. Forcing down the low whining sound in the back of his throat, Jason gingerly picked the kid up and carried him into camp._

* * *

Nico squirms and Jason realizes he’s been spacing out. He steps back and lets Nico go. Jason is pleased that Nico doesn’t go far.  
  
He looks okay. Well, as okay as a demigod on the run can look. His eye bags are pretty dark but his skin looks like it’s seen some sun recently. He’s also filled out more since Jason saw him last month. He must be training with Marcus again. Jason had asked Nico to spar the last time he was here and had his ass handed to him. Nico was deadly with a sword.  
  
“But I’m sure I have enough time to get into some trouble,” Nico grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief.

That smile was pretty deadly too. At least for Jason’s heart.  
  
“Oh yeah, what trouble would you like to stir up, Ambassador?”  
  
“I have some ideas that Terminus will _love._ ” Nico fights back a yawn. “But first maybe a nap?”  
  
Jason nods. Nico always looks dead on his feet- pun not intended- but today he looks like he’s about a minute from passing out. 

Nico turns away from him and Jason tries to push down the disappointment he feels.  
  
“Will you come with?” Nico is pointedly not looking at him as he says this. “I think we should talk about what happened last time.

Right. Last time.  
  
Jason nods before letting out a stuttering yes when continues to stand still with his head down. 

* * *

_Nico was waving his hands through the air, almost hitting Jason as he told about being mistaken for a homeless child by a mortal. They were sitting on a blanket spread out before Pluto’s Shrine. The night sky twinkled above them, reflected in Nico’s dark eyes. Eyes that were crinkled in both mirth and annoyance as he recounted his tale.  
  
Jason was amazed at how comfortable Nico had become with him. It had been almost a year since he carried an unconscious boy into the Principia and scared the hell out of Praetor Chinh. Earning Nico’s trust after that had been like trying to befriend a stray cat. But Jason had been patient and as he tried to prove himself to Nico he found himself becoming more and more interested in the other demigod. _

_Jason had never met another child of the Big Three, and Nico could understand things that the other Legionnaires just couldn’t. The expectations weighed heavy on both of them. Jason was expected to be perfect, the camp’s Golden Boy who did everything perfectly and was a natural leader. Nico carried the expectation of bad luck, judgment, and death. The others were uneasy with him at best and outwardly suspicious on the other end. The augur Octavian in particular seemed to think Nico was a terrible omen._

_In turn, Nico was cagey and unwilling to follow Camp Jupiter’s rules. Jason spent several weeks trying to coax more than one word out of him at a time. It was a delicate game, Nico had already demonstrated that he could leave whenever he wanted and there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. Jason knew he was only staying because the camp would send out a manhunt for him the second he left.  
  
What finally won the son of Pluto over was Jason standing up for him in front of the Senate. Nico had clearly stated that he wanted no part of the camp. He didn’t want to join the legion and he certainly didn’t want to be a probatio. Jason had been the one to suggest an ambassador status. Partially to make sure the kid had someplace safe to go and partially out of the selfish desire to see Nico again.  
  
It had been slow going but it was completely worth it to get to this. A comfortable Nico laughing and gesturing wildly. For once he looked his age, grin rounding out his face and softening his gaze. He’d even been convinced into allowing Michael Kahale to brush and braid his hair back. _

* * *

He had been beautiful that night. 

He still was, Jason realized as his heart clenched. He trailed behind Nico as he passed into New Rome and made his way to the apartment he had been granted as an ambassador. Nico could have shadow traveled straight to his room, which meant he had sought out Jason first on purpose.  
  
Jason felt sick and elated all at once. 

* * *

_Nico finished his story and laid back with a dramatic sigh. Jason laid beside him his thoughts had been a mess. But he remembered Nico’s hand being right there. Almost touching his own. It took nothing to tangle their fingers together. The hitch in Nico’s breathing the first warning to Jason that his thoughts had spurred him to action._

_Nico was so still, had he stopped breathing?_

_“Jason?”  
  
“Uh, yeah?”_

_“What are you doing?”_

_“I think I might like you.” Verbalizing it like that, everything suddenly made much more sense._

_Jason had never had a crush before, it made sense that his first would be on Nico. Nico didn’t have any expectations of him. He didn’t care if Jason wasn’t a great hero. When they were together he could just be himself.  
  
Nico’s hand was torn from his as he sat up. Baby hairs had escaped the braid and were framing Nico’s wide eyes. Jason sat up as well.  
  
Nico made several aborted attempts at a sentence while Jason’s panic clawed up his throat.  
  
“It doesn’t have to change anything,” Jason blurted out. “We can just forget I said that, I don’t even really know what I’m feeling.”  
  
Nico’s gaze was intense, but not angry. He looked sort of resigned. But he nodded slowly and laid back down, after scooting a few more inches away. Jason was an expert at keeping tears from spilling from his eyes. _

_Nico was gone in the morning._

* * *

Jason sat stiffly in the corner seat of Nico’s black couch. Nico perched on the edge of the middle seat, not as far as possible from Jason. That was good right?  
  
“You can nap first if you want.” Anything to get out of this conversation.

“I don’t think I can sleep until I figure this out.”  
  
Jason nodded his eyes locked on the ripped knee of Nico’s jeans. He had a nasty purple bruise on his knobby knee.

“Did you mean what you said? Do you like me?”  
  
“Yeah, I just… You’ve become one of my best friends and I feel like I can be myself with you.”  
  
“You didn’t seem very sure last time.”  
  
Nico had his guards up. It hurt after all this time to see them back up. Back up _because of Jason._ Gods, Jason had screwed up.  
  
Jason flushed. If he was coming clean he might as well tell him everything. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first. I’ve never had a crush on anyone before. It wasn’t until I was holding your hand that everything clicked into place.”  
  
“You have a crush on _me_?” The way Nico said it like Jason couldn’t possibly like him.  
  
“Of course I do, Nico,” Jason’s voice was soft. “You’re kind and thoughtful. You pay attention to people, even when they don’t pay attention to you. You tell the best stories and make me laugh. You just, you get me. I don’t have to pretend to be perfect with you.”  
  
“I don’t make you uncomfortable. Or seem untrustworthy? You don’t find me creepy?”  
  
As Nico’s rapid-fire questions poured out a small flame of hope lit in Jason’s heart. This wasn’t a rejection.  
  
“Nico, I promised never to lie to you. I don’t think any of those things. I’d trust you with my life.” Jason took in a deep breath, “Would you trust me with a date?”  
  
That might’ve been the wrong thing to say. Nico froze like he had done when Jason grabbed his hand.  
  
“Do you like me too?” That was the real question on Jason’s mind.  
  
That snapped Nico out of it he spluttered. “Of course I like you, you’re _you,”_ he gestured to Jason vaguely. “I thought you knew I had a crush on you and were making fun of me.”  
  
“I would never. You like me,” Even as he said it a grin spread across his face.  
  
Before Nico could get embarrassed or shadow travel away Jason grabbed his fidgeting hands.  
  
“Yeah, I like you. And you like me?” The amount of doubt still apparent made Jason want to hunt down whoever had made Nico feel unlovable.  
  
“Yes, Nico, I like you very much.” To prove his point he leaned in carefully and pecked Nico’s cheek.  
  
Nico turned red and tightened his grip on Jason’s hand. The poor boy was exhausted and flustered.  
  
“We can discuss date ideas after you take a nap,” Jason said in his best leader voice, leaving no room for argument.  
  
“Okay, but there’s something I’d like to do first.”  
  
Jason looked at him expectantly. Nico scooted closer, leaned forward, hovering with his face so close to Jason’s, he could just-

Their lips connected and it felt like coming home.


End file.
